New York: A New Yorker who sent USD 67,000 to al-Qaida and pledged his support to the terror group was sentenced today to 15 years in prison by a judge who cited the defendant's remorse and medical problems that make his incarceration more difficult than others'.

Wesam El-Hanafi, who was born in Brooklyn, said he'd spent the nearly five years since his arrest reflecting on his actions. "I didn't just make the wrong choices. I made the worst choices," El-Hanafi, 39, said as he apologized. "I regret my actions. I'm embarrassed by what I did."